# The Gabor Sisters: Did They Fight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747 "2016-11-22T16:18:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/1 "2016-11-22T16:18:30Z")
I caught a line on a recent airing of a MASH episode where two minor characters were all-out, roll on the ground, fighting. Hawkeye says something like “Look, the Gabor sisters! Ok, Eva…” What is Hawkeye’s line eluding to? Were the Gabor sisters known for squabbling, in general? Or, is it a reference to a specific movie scene, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/2 "2016-11-22T16:38:28Z")
I don’t think the Gabors were particularly known for their animosity toward each other. The joke was probably based upon the old taunt “You fight like a girl.” So Hawkeye is saying they both fight like a girl. Not everything references specific events, especially in jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/3 "2016-11-22T17:18:43Z")
He should have said, “Look, Olivia and Joan”. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/4 "2016-11-22T18:05:16Z")
They may have been competing to see who would marry the richest guy, or the most guys. That doesn’t mean they were fighting but the story is that their mother knew her daughters were hot properties as she saw herself as well and the family business was marrying for money. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/5 "2016-11-22T19:25:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They may have been competing to see who would marry the richest guy, or the most guys. That doesn’t mean they were fighting but the story is that their mother knew her daughters were hot properties as she saw herself as well and the family business was marrying for money. Sort of proto-Kardashians… ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/6 "2016-11-22T22:28:04Z")
As a side note Zsa Zsa will turn 100 years old next February 6th. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/7 "2016-11-23T02:20:21Z")
Eva wanted to be taken seriously as an actress, while Zsa Zsa and Magda were quite happy simply being famous and rich, but I don’t think there was any particular bad blood between them. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/8 "2016-11-23T02:30:16Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Sort of proto-Kardashians… Indeed. They didn’t have as many publicity outlets available but they managed to grab entertainment news headlines for getting married, divorced, and occasional small movie roles. Zsa Zsa had the exotic name that got more notice at the time but Eva achieved a level of stardom in her role on Green Acres. I remember a few Hollywood newsertainment type segments on TV in the 60s that always included Zsa Zsa in a stunning outfit looking like a young starlet even though she must have pushing 50 at the time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/9 "2016-11-23T02:32:06Z")
They had twenty marriages between them. One dude married and divorced two out of the three. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/10 "2016-11-23T03:17:56Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > As a side note Zsa Zsa will turn 100 years old next February 6th. I had not known she was still alive. ---
**Author:** ![minionkat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@minionkat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minionkat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/11 "2016-11-23T03:36:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I had not known she was still alive. She’s had one foot in the grave for quite some time now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/12 "2016-11-23T04:05:44Z")
How come you never meet anyone named Zsa Zsa? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/13 "2016-11-23T04:15:58Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > How come you never meet anyone named Zsa Zsa? It’s more of a nickname, diminutive form of Zsuzsanna. All the Zsuzsannas I know go by Zsuzsi or Zsuzsa, though. And, yes, I do know several, as it’s a common Hungarian name. No idea why Zsazsa isn’t as common, but it sounds more infantile to my ears than the others, so perhaps that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/14 "2016-11-23T04:40:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s more of a nickname, diminutive form of Zsuzsanna. All the Zsuzsannas I know go by Zsuzsi or Zsuzsa, though. And, yes, I do know several, as it’s a common Hungarian name. No idea why Zsazsa isn’t as common, but it sounds more infantile to my ears than the others, so perhaps that’s why. It’s Susan or Susanna in Hungarian. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/15 "2016-11-23T10:46:36Z")
Bennett Cerf recounted a mock publicity comment Zsa Zsa made, complaining that the Weather Service used “Zelda” to name the “Z” hurricane instead of her name, when there were no famous Zelda’s. In the early 1980s, the _National Lampoon_ ran a fake news article claiming that the Gabor sisters were being charged for defrauding the American public for pretending to be movie stars. When pressed, they couldn’t name any movies they’d been in (the point being that the movies they were in were so obscure and forgotten, and the Gabors were better known for their pastime of marrying men). And someone else - maybe the fake letters to the _Lampoon_ - purported to speak for Zeppo and Gummo, the lesser-known Gabor sisters. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/16 "2016-11-23T13:50:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s more of a nickname, diminutive form of Zsuzsanna. All the Zsuzsannas I know go by Zsuzsi or Zsuzsa, though. And, yes, I do know several, as it’s a common Hungarian name. No idea why Zsazsa isn’t as common, but it sounds more infantile to my ears than the others, so perhaps that’s why. “Oh, Zsuzsanna, don’t you cry for me. I come from Transdanubia with a kolbász on my knee!” Yeah, I can see why she might go by something completely different. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/17 "2016-11-23T16:21:38Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > It’s Susan or Susanna in Hungarian. Yeah, and Zsazsa/Zsuzsa/Zsuzsi might be something like Susie in English. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/18 "2016-11-23T16:27:37Z")
> [@minionkat](#): > > She’s had one foot in the grave for quite some time now. 😉 I thought she was just peeing on the graves of people she didn’t like… ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/19 "2016-11-24T01:21:40Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Bennett Cerf recounted a mock publicity comment Zsa Zsa made, complaining that the Weather Service used “Zelda” to name the “Z” hurricane instead of her name, when there were no famous Zelda’s. > > In the early 1980s, the _National Lampoon_ ran a fake news article claiming that the Gabor sisters were being charged for defrauding the American public for pretending to be movie stars. When pressed, they couldn’t name any movies they’d been in (the point being that the movies they were in were so obscure and forgotten, and the Gabors were better known for their pastime of marrying men). > > And someone else - maybe the fake letters to the _Lampoon_ - purported to speak for Zeppo and Gummo, the lesser-known Gabor sisters. What did she mean "no famous people named “Zelda”? Didn’t Zsa Zsa watch the _Dobie Gillis_ show? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747/20 "2016-11-24T02:29:16Z")
To be fair, Zsa Zsa was either second or third in billing for “Moulin Rouge”, which nominated for best picture (and six other Academy Awards). The Jose Ferrer “Moulin Rouge” to avoid comparison with the other monstrosity. But I remember being shocked seeing her name on the credits…I thought she just appeared on talk shows, called everyone “dahlink” and changed husbands as often as people walked their dogs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gabor-sisters-did-they-fight/772747.md?page=2)